A sonata is a piece of classical music in three or four separate parts, called movements, written either for a piano alone or for one other instrument with a piano — a violin sonata, a cello sonata, a flute sonata. The movements differ in speed and mood: often fast, then slow, then fast again, so the whole thing feels like a journey rather than one single song. Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' is the one almost everyone has heard.

A sonata sonata（奏鳴曲） is是 a piece of classical music一種古典音樂作品 in three or four separate parts分成三到四個獨立的部分, called movements叫做樂章, written either for a piano alone可以是鋼琴獨奏 or for one other instrument with a piano也可以是一項樂器加鋼琴 — a violin sonata, a cello sonata, a flute sonata像小提琴奏鳴曲、大提琴奏鳴曲、長笛奏鳴曲。The movements各樂章 differ in speed and mood速度和情緒不同: often fast, then slow, then fast again常常是快、慢、再快, so the whole thing feels like a journey所以整首曲子感覺像一趟旅程 rather than one single song而不是一首單一的歌。Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata'貝多芬的《月光奏鳴曲》 is是 the one almost everyone has heard幾乎每個人都聽過的一首。

A word of warning about a related term: sonata form is not the same thing. Sonata form is a plan for building ONE movement — you present two ideas, argue with them in the middle, then bring them back — and it is used inside symphonies and string quartets too, not only inside sonatas. Musicians keep these apart carefully.

A word of warning about a related term有個相關詞要提醒一下: sonata form is not the same thingsonata form（奏鳴曲式）跟奏鳴曲不是同一回事。Sonata form is奏鳴曲式是 a plan for building ONE movement用來建構「一個」樂章的架構 — you present two ideas先呈現兩個主題, argue with them in the middle中間讓它們互相辯證, then bring them back最後再把它們帶回來 — and it is used inside symphonies and string quartets too而且交響曲和弦樂四重奏裡也會用到, not only inside sonatas不只是奏鳴曲才有。Musicians音樂家 keep these apart carefully會小心把這兩個概念分開。

Historically the word simply meant 'a played piece', as opposed to a cantata, 'a sung piece'; the strict three-or-four-movement shape came later, in the 1700s.

Historically從歷史上看 the word simply meant這個字原本單純是指 'a played piece'「演奏的曲子」, as opposed to a cantata跟cantata相對, 'a sung piece'（歌唱的曲子）; the strict three-or-four-movement shape嚴格三或四樂章的形式 came later是後來, in the 1700s在1700年代才出現的。